How Esperanza Spalding Came to Love to Her Curls: "When My Hair Is Wild, It’s Doing Its Best Thing"

Esperanza Spalding is our current music icon and hair crush. We’ve watched this classically trained jazz singer and bassist rocking those curls everywhere from the Grammy Awards to the White House—and her embrace of her hair’s natural texture is the ultimate beauty inspiration. “I let my curls do their thing—when my hair is wild, that’s when it’s doing its best thing,” says Spalding, 31. She especially likes it big and brushed out: “I feel I can pick up more inspiration—you know, like my antennas are up.” With her fifth album, Emily’s D+Evolution, out this spring, the Portland, Oregon, native put down her bass to talk beauty and self-esteem.

Spalding, who loves wearing her hair in a fluffy Afro, jumped in and brushed out her own air-dried curls (gently, working from tips to roots). Hairstylist Ben Skervin then created a simple side part, which lent a graphic element to the soft texture. A spritz of gloss spray (try Moroccanoil Glimmer Shine, $28, moroccanoil.com) adds a healthy shine.

Dusan Reljin; Fashion Editor: Jessica Sailer Van Lith

Your brushed-out Afro is your signature, but it wasn’t always. How did you style your hair when you were young?

“My hair, growing up, was no fun at all. My mom never let me press it or put relaxer in it; she wanted me to embrace what my hair did naturally. I was allowed to brush it and let it dry, and then I had to get out of the house. When I was around 12, my hair was really, really thick and super curly—just dense and impossible. I went through a very embarrassing couple of years there. I just wanted to get my hair out of my life, out of the way, out of people’s sight, just away from everything because it was so crazy.”

So when did you start to love your curls?

“At 15 I just decided to bleach it, relax it, color it—I did everything. At 17, when I left home [for Berklee College of Music in Boston], I shaved my hair to a quarter inch of my head. As it grew into an Afro, I liked that look. And it’s pretty much been growing out like that ever since. I like to let it be completely wild; it forces me to face people not knowing how I’m being seen. I don’t know what it’s doing and I just have to be cool with that—especially if I’m around somebody new. I’m like, All right, let’s go. This is it, unfiltered.”

Starting with brushed-out curls, Skervin twisted everything up into a very high half pony, letting the ends peek out to create a pom-pom-like effect. He teased out the shape even more with his fingers, while preserving the undone texture. “You can play around with it, bringing it more forward, more to the center, more to one side,” he says. “It’s simple but has quite a dramatic effect.”

Dusan Reljin; Fashion Editor: Jessica Sailer Van Lith

Walk us through your styling routine.

“Once I’ve washed it, I work in the conditioner. I like a sulfate-free one from Alaffia. I get it super goopy in the shower—think jellyfish consistency—and I detangle my hair with my fingers. I don’t wash out the conditioner; I just let it air-dry. When I want it in Afro mode, I brush everything out with a paddle brush. Brushing is my one commitment when it comes to my hair; it can take an hour, but that’s when I watch the news or call my mom. Brushing it when it’s dry seems to help it do what I like, which is this wild, frazzled thing—kind of messed up.”

“It’s a bit romantic; there’s a softness around the face,” Skervin says of this pulled-back style. First, add a tiny drop of oil (try Garnier Fructis Marvelous Oil Frizz Defy, $6, walmart.com) to subtly define air-dried strands. Next, pull hair back into a low-slung half pony. “Don’t pull the ends all the way through—let the back hang down,” he says.

Dusan Reljin; Fashion Editor: Jessica Sailer Van Lith

For your new album and tour, you wear your hair in braids. Why the departure from your signature curls?

“Emily—which is my middle name, and what I was called growing up—is my onstage alter ego and the inspiration for this album. Her look reflects who she is and what she’s about, and draws from my childhood. Her hair is different from how I usually wear it: It’s twisted down in braids, soaking up the energy of her world.”